Ohtani homers, Dodgers rout Mets for 2-1 NLCS lead

By the time Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate in the eighth inning Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers were already in control.

Once the ball left his bat, Game 3 of the National League Championship Series was over.

Ohtani launched a three-run homer and the Dodgers pulled away for an 8-0 victory against the choppy New York Mets that gave them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Ohtani connected for a towering 410-foot drive that soared into the second deck in right field. He gave a little lean at home plate as he watched the ball barely stay fair above the foul pole.

Ohtani entered batting .222 with a homer and five RBIs during his first postseason. The $700 million superstar sparked the offense in Game 1 against the Mets, but hadn’t gone deep since hitting a three-run homer early in the Division Series opener.

Los Angeles rebounded from a loss at home by pitching its fourth shutout in the past five playoff games.

Game 4 is Thursday night in Queens, with $325 million rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto scheduled to start for Los Angeles against veteran left-hander Jose Quintana.




(AP Photo Ashley Landis)